A jubilant Roger Helmer told the Post: “It's been a great night. The message is look, vote UKIP, get UKIP. The old message that UKIP is a small party and we give them our vote but we get someone else has been blown away by this result.”

Mr Helmer will be standing in the Newark by-election on June 5 and said he hoped the party would carry momentum into the Nottinghamshire contest.

He said: “Newark has a fantastic opportunity to send a message on behalf of the whole country to the political establishment.”

Speaking about the loss of Liberal Democrat Bill Newton Dunn, Mr Helmer added that he would miss his “sparring partner” of the last 15 years.

Conservative MEP Emma McClarkin couldn't hide her delight in getting re-elected along with Andrew Lewer, the former leader of Derbyshire County Council.

She said: “It was the most adrenaline pumped night.

“It was a close run election, a hard fought campaign. We can deliver real change and have two members for the East Midlands to go out and deliver that in Brussels.

“UKIP have done well tonight and taken a big protest vote and we have to listen to the people and what they're concerned about.

“Will it bear out in the general election? We'll have to wait and see.”

And Labour's Glenis Willmott said she was disappointed with the result with Leicester deputy mayor Rory Palmer missing out on election.

She said: “It was very tight. I am disappointed we didn't get two in because we only missed out by 0.6% so it was very tight.

“But that's the nature of European elections. We have increased our share of the vote and nationally we have done very well.

“I think when people realise how many jobs are at risk and that they are better off being part of the EU, that's a lot to put at risk. I don't think this is about Europe, this is about the fact that people feel disenchanted with politicians and politics. We have got to win them back.”

In Nottinghamshire, UKIP came top in five out of eight districts – Gedling, Mansfield, Broxtowe, Newark and Ashfield – with Labour coming top in Bassetlaw and Nottingham City and the Tories winning the polls in Rushcliffe.

But with turnout only standing at just under a third - it means that if Did Not Vote was a party, they would have won all five seats in the European Parliament for the East Midlands in the proportional representation system.